The Leon Rose-led New York Knicks front office would be considered “a failure” if they fail to land Giannis Antetokounmpo, feels The Athletic’s Zach Harper.
The Knicks, who reportedly had an “exclusive negotiating window” in a potential Giannis trade this offseason, did not go all-in on trying to land the “Greek Freak,” per multiple insiders, and will now have to compete with a host of other suitors — if and when the Milwaukee Bucks make the two-time MVP available in trade talks.
In his NBA trade deadline preview piece, Harper clubbed the Knicks under the “buyers” category due to Antetokounmpo’s reported interest in playing for them.
“This mostly centers around the idea of going after Giannis Antetokounmpo if he ends up being on the market,” wrote Harper. “You can look at this Knicks team and the complexities of trading for Giannis and think that they don’t need him. And they might not. However, the point of what Leon Rose and company built was to get a superstar like Giannis, should he become available.”
‘Element of Failure’
“If the Knicks don’t do that, there is an element of failure to their campaign, which sounds ridiculous when you acknowledge this team is good enough to win the East outright,” Harper continued.
“The pairing of Giannis and Jalen Brunson wouldn’t be perfect, either. At the same time, the Knicks could use some punch if they want to think about the Larry O’Brien Trophy. Or maybe they just need one more player on their bench?”
Although Antetokounmpo has yet to officially request a trade, he reportedly put out feelers about the Knicks this past summer, expressing interest in playing in the Big Apple. This led to the Knicks and Bucks engaging in talks for two weeks, per ESPN’s Shams Charania and Brian Windhorst, but a trade didn’t materialize.
Did Knicks Blow Their Shot?
“There was a two-week period where the Knicks knew Giannis wanted to play there, so did the Bucks,” Charania told the Flagrant podcast last month.
“Conversations were happening, and offers were made,” Charania added. “It wasn’t finalized, but the Knicks had their shot.”
Windhorst added that the teams “never got traction on a deal” as the Knicks were not sure if the Bucks were truly serious about parting with their two-time MVP.
For what it’s worth, the Knicks remain the odds-on betting favorites to pull off a Giannis trade before the Feb. 5 deadline. The franchise can’t offer any first-round picks, but can potentially build a package around either Karl-Anthony Towns and/or OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges, while involving a third team to acquire draft capital.
The Knicks (18-7) remain focused on their 2025-26 campaign rather than the Giannis trade rumors. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, the Knicks “like their team right now” and don’t feel compelled to pursue a trade for the Greek superstar.
Mike Brown’s men will have a chance at winning the third-annual NBA Cup title on Tuesday, amid a five-game winning streak. They’ve won nine of their last 10 games.
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